Wobbly Magpies make easy victory look hard

The Magpies show their silverware after surviving a scare in their grand final against South Hobart-Sandy Bay.Source: News Limited

GLENORCHY survived a herculean effort by South Hobart-Sandy Bay paceman Hamish Kingston yesterday to fall over the line and capture back-to-back CTPL premierships.

On a pulsating and gripping final day, the Magpies stuttered to their victory target of 97 seven wickets down after Kingston (5-27 from 19 overs) threatened to lift his side to one of the biggest comebacks in grade cricket history.

The Sharks trailed by 180 runs on the first innings but, thanks to a Xavier Doherty century, scrambled their way to 276 in their second innings to set the Pies what looked like a straightforward run chase.

Starting yesterday 0-2 at Blundstone Arena, Glenorchy lost Henry Terry on the third ball of the day as South-Sandy turned the screws and made every run seem like gold.

Just four runs were scored in the first half-hour before Kingston turned up the heat by removing Ed Cowan and Brad Absolom, caught behind.

Then Gabe Bell chipped in with the prized wicket of Ben Dunk to a cracking inswinger that would have crashed into middle and leg stumps.

At 4-14 the Sharks could sense they were right in the mix and despite a slow rebuild by Luke Butterworth (21) and Ryan Meyer, when the latter chipped a catch to cover and Kingston nicked Butterworth off, the Pies were 6-49 and in serious danger.

Up stepped captain coach Brett Geeves, who used his wealth of first-class experience to weather the storm as he and Richie Dilger (10) chipped away at the target run by run.

Never one to back down, Geeves started a war of words with opposing captain Travis Little just before lunch, a ­moment which perhaps fully engaged him in the contest.

Kingston returned after the break to trap Dilger in front for a well-deserved five-wicket haul, but Nathan Matthews joined his skipper to help guide the side home.